Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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What are charter schools, and how are they different from traditional public schools?

Charter schools are publicly funded, and independently run. They operate differently from traditional public schools while adhering to the same education standards. Minnesota opened the country's first charter school in 1992, and since then, all but three states have adopted charter school programs. Learn about the history and structure of public charters in this episode of Simple Civics!

Watch more at wfyi.org/civics

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